Georgian chant

Georgian chant is the music sung in the Georgian Orthodox Church for daily and weekly services. It is sung in three-voiced polyphony without instrumental accompaniment. There are many musical styles and performance practices, and a long history of transmission and musical development. It has been sung since at least 326 AD, when Saint Nino, Enlightener of Georgians, converted King Mirian and Queen Nana of Iberia, a Georgian speaking kingdom in the South Caucasus region.

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Recent Posts

Svanetian chant - Matthew Knight - Georgian Chant Org

Kviria – Svan Ritual Chant

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  One of the most important and historically layered Svan ritual songs is the hymn Kviria. Like many hymns passed down orally over the centuries, Kviria exists in multiple variants. However, some of... Read More

Svanetian chant - Matthew Knight - Georgian Chant Org

Svanetian Chant: Introduction

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    Svaneti’s culture is famed in Georgia for being archaic and harsh, with Upper Svaneti often described as a “living museum” that offers insights into the worldview and customs of ancient Georgia.... Read More

Saint Ekvtime Mtatsmindeli and Saint Giorgi Mtatsmindeli

One Old Georgian Musical Term (Mortuleba)

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      Of the musical terms attested in Medieval Georgian written sources, special attention attaches to the term mortuleba (“harmony”). It is polysemantic and occurs in various branches of Georgian literature (theological... Read More

The Georgian Modal System

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1. INTRODUCTION The present paper discusses selected results from my dissertation work on “The History of Georgian Chant Notation and the Georgian Musical System” (Erkvanidze, 2014). One of the main challenges in the... Read More

Trisagion hymn and processional crosses 4

Trisagion Hymn – Musical Analysis

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Part II: Musical Analysis of the Georgian Trisagion Hymn   Part I: Chanting Around the Throne of God (Theological and Ritual Perspectives) Part III: Trisagian Hymn – East Syrian and Georgian Connections  ... Read More